Original Catalogue Specifications:
-
Philipps
serial or work #10,640, (or #10,653, which is stamped on the piano sounding
board).
- Revolver Mechanism (roll changer) #???
- Integral case and chassis format.
- Ten station, belt drive revolver mechanism (roll changer).
- Windmotor drive for forward music roll motion.
- Flat belt pulley speed reduction for feeder (pump) eccentric.
- Pneumatic lock and cancel register controls.
- Uses Phillips PP (Pianella Paganini) rolls (or Wurlitzer Paganini rolls).
- Height: 3,25 Meter (10 ft. 8 in.)
Width: 2,10 Meter (6 ft. 11 in.)
Depth: 1,20 Meter (3 ft. 11-½ in.)
Shipping weight: 800 Kilo (1,764 lbs.)
61 Note Musical Scale:
- A high grade Piano (with "Harfe" attachment available at extra cost)
- Harmonium
- Violin (wood violin pipes with brass freins)
- Viola (wood string pipes with brass freins)
- Violoncello -- Bass Violin (large wood string pipes with wood rollers)
- Flageolets (wood violin pipes with nodule hole and brass freins)
- Flute (wooden flute pipes, possibly both stopped and open flute ranks)
- Clarinet (reed pipes with metal boot and cylindrical metal resonators)
- Tremolo (an effect applied to the pipework wind-pressure supply)
- Chimes, 18 bars (orchestra bells)
- Snare drum, with loud and soft stroke (reiterating action)
- Bass drum, with loud and soft stroke
- Kettle drum (tympani effect using two small wooden beaters on the bass
drum)
- Crash Cymbal (not part of bass drum action)
- Triangle (reiterating action)
- Tambourine (reiterating action)
- Castanets (reiterating action)
Notes:
- Pipework voices as shown above are from a generalized Philipps catalogue
description, and may not exactly match the actual specifications of the
Model 14 Paganini.
- Although Philipps mentions the Harfe (reiterating mandolin attachment)
as an extra, no Paganini instruments are known that contain a Harfe effect.
- According to information supplied by Art Reblitz (circa 1998) the serial
number is 10,653, while Dick van Minnen, a restorer at the museum, reports
as of August, 2000, that the correct serial number is 10,640.
Chronological History:
Circa 1914/18
Manufactured by J.D. Philipps & Sons, Bockenheim,
Frankfurt-am-Main, Germany.
Circa 1914/18
Original Location: Probably somewhere in
Belgium.
The original location is unknown, but suspected to be in Belgium, mainly
because this is the country where Eugene DeRoy discovered the instrument, circa
1960. Moreover, the overall good condition of this Paganini Orchestrion supports
the idea that it had a single, appreciative commercial home.
Circa 1960
Eugene DeRoy, Belgium (Dealer)
Purchased for resale somewhere in Belgium by Eugene DeRoy. Mr. DeRoy located
a number of extant orchestrions manufactured by Hupfeld, Philipps, Popper, Weber,
et cetera, by visiting places that had once been customers for his Symphonia
Music Roll business.
1962
Museum van Speelklok tot Pierement, Utrecht, Holland
(Music Boxes to Street Organs Museum).
The
Paganini, which was mechanically complete and in pristine condition, is currently
on display at the
Museum van Speelklok tot Pierement, Utrecht, Holland. The Paganini reportedly
had undergone some type of restoration work not long before a visit (in 1999)
to the museum by an American collector, who heard the Paganini perform and reported
that the instrument was is in relatively poor playing condition. This report
is unverified, and it is unknown whether further restoration work on the machine
has since occurred.
Here is the text from an e-mail attachment from Dick van Minnen (dated August
28, 2000):
|
Dear Sir,
We have received your mail and I am happy in answering you as follows:
The National Museum bought the Philipps Paganini (serial number 10640)
in 1962 from Mr. Pierre Paul van Roy [Ed: Eugene DeRoy]. The
instrument toured around in several places like Bladel (a "brassserie"
/ lunchroom in Brussels, Belgium).
When I was 14 years old I was already much involved in the getting
of the instrument (my father was a board member of the museum). I even
helped gluing the bellows!! And now, being a restorer in the museum,
I am still very much involved!
A restoration took place by Mr. de Roy about ca. 40 years ago when
the museum was housed in the wing of the Museum Catharijne Convent.
Another restoration took place in 1971 when we were housed at 'Achter
den Dom' by father and son King [Ed. See "The Orchestrion Builders;
The Story of the Leopold King Family" elsewhere in this web site].
The last restoration took place here in Utrecht (1993) by Fred Bernauw
/ Jorg. Borchardt / restoration department Museum StP on the occasion
of a museum summer exposition called "Waiter, music".
dick van minnen
|
To
date, this is the only factory original Philipps Pianella Paganini Orchestrion
that is currently known to have survived. Keep in mind here that a Paganini
Orchestrion is something quite different than the relatively small Paganini
Geigen (Violin) Piano, which does not contain such things as reed pipes, chimes,
xylophone or any drums and other trapwork effects. At least two Model 3 cabinet
style Paganini machines and numerous keyboard style Paganini Violin Piano type
instruments exist.
Credits:
Written by Terry Hathaway, with information provided
by Terry Hathaway, Dave Bowers, Art Reblitz and Dick van Minnen (restorer
at the
Museum van Speelklok tot Pierement).
Photographs:
Stefan Batist and Dana Johnson.
